Locomotives traditionally include a car body that houses one or more power units of the locomotive. The weight of the car body is supported at either end by trucks that transfer the weight to opposing rails. The trucks typically include cast steel frames that provide a mounting for traction motors, axles, and wheel sets. Locomotives can be equipped with trucks having two, three, or four axles. An example of a four-axle locomotive truck is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,743 that issued to Roush et al. on Dec. 4, 1984.
Each truck frame of a typical locomotive is connected to its corresponding axle by coil springs that act directly on a journal box of each wheel. The journal box transmits vertical loads from the springs to the wheels and provides a housing for axle bearings. Pedestals are attached to the truck frame and hold the truck frame in place relative to the journal box while permitting some vertical movement of the truck frame. The pedestals transfer tractive and transverse loads to the wheels via the journal box. In some applications, an equalizer extends between the journal boxes of different wheels to equalize loads from the truck frame on the wheels. Rounded surfaces at ends of the equalizer typically rest on top of a wear plate attached to the journal box.
During operation of the locomotive, significant wear can occur due to pedestal loading and pedestal and equalizer contact with the journal box. It is therefore common to fasten wear plates to the pedestal and the journal box. Although successful at reducing wear of the pedestal and journal box, the wear plates must be periodically serviced. This service requires an expensive and labor-intensive rebuild process that involves welding and re-machining worn surfaces of the plates back to new tolerances. In addition, truck performance can deteriorate as wear takes place.
The railway truck of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.